The Vine Street Reports are my BLOGs and VLOGs from Vine Street in Monroe, Michigan. They are a mix of social, political and economic news and views from a secular progressive, civil libertarian and social democrat point of view.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

James Stewart made filibusters famous as Senator Smith in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

According to Collins
English Dictionary a filibuster is “the process or an instance of obstructing
legislation by means of long speeches and other delaying tactics.” The use of
filibusters dates back over 2,000 years. It is recorded that a Roman senator
named Cato the Younger successfully frustrated Julius Caesar on at least two occasions
by engaging in long oratories to delay action until certain deadlines were
passed.

Cato had to personally stand
before the Roman Senate for hours on end speaking extemporaneously to achieve
his goals. Our modern United States Senate has a long-standing rule that permits a senator, or a series of senators, to speak
for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose, unless "three-fifths of
the Senators duly chosen and sworn".

What this means, in
theory, is that 40 senators can obstruct legislation that has the support of
the majority as long as at least one senator is willing to stand before the
Senate and speak. Well, it used to mean that! The current practice is to engage
in what is called a “silent filibuster” where a few senators merely announce
their intention to speak endlessly and if the majority cannot muster the 60
votes needed to end discussion they simply move on to other business rather
than insist upon hearing the objections of the minority.

The silent filibuster
isn’t the only way to obstruct progress, there is something called an anonymous
or secret hold in which a single, unknown senator is able to hold up a
nomination or a bill for weeks or months or even longer. Leaders from both parties have repeatedly
pledged to end the practice of secret holds but have not kept their pledges. Secret
holds should simply be abolished.

Some senators are
calling for changes to these rules, changes that can only be made on the first
day of a new session. An effort to “Reform the Filibuster” is being
led by Senators Jeff Markey (D-OR) and Tom Udall (D-NM) and supported by others
including Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Amy Klobuchar
(D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Those objecting to legislation should only
have one opportunity to filibuster legislation. Specifically, the ability
to bring up a bill for simple debate (the motion to proceed) should not be
subjected to a filibuster.

Those wishing to filibuster legislation must
actually hold the floor and be required to actually debate the
legislation. It would end "silent" filibusters where one Senator
quietly objects and is not required to take the Senate floor.

Instead of the burden required to break a
filibuster being on the majority to deliver 60 votes, those objecting to
the legislation and wishing to filibuster must produce 41 votes to sustain
a filibuster.

The process for approving nominations should
be streamlined, including shortening the amount of time required for
debate once a nomination is brought to the Senate floor.

Unfortunately, most
senators, both Democrat and Republican, are reluctant to put an end to silent
filibusters and secret holds and it is unlikely that Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid (D-NV) will put any substantial rule changes before the body on the
first day of the upcoming session.

Senators John McCain (R-AZ)
and Carl Levin (D-MI) have put forward a watered down “Bipartisan
Proposal to Reform Senate Procedures”. The real purpose of this proposal is to allow
senators who do not wish to end the silent filibusters and/or secret holds to
tell constituents that they voted for reform when they did not.

“We
urgently need rule changes to end the silent filibuster and the secret holds. I
am writing to encourage you to put the rule changes suggested by Senators Jeff Markey,
Tom Udall and others before the United States Senate on the first day of
business in 2013. Please do not compromise by putting forward the watered down,
bi-partisan proposal being offered by Senators John McCain and Carl Levin.”

“We
urgently need rule changes to end the silent filibuster and the secret holds. I
am writing to encourage you to support the rule changes suggested by Senators Jeff
Markey, Tom Udall and others. Please do not compromise by supporting the watered
down, bi-partisan proposal being offered by Senators John McCain and Carl
Levin.”

“We
urgently need rule changes to end the silent filibuster and the secret holds. I
am writing to express my disappointment with the watered down, bi-partisan proposal
being offered by Senator John McCain and yourself. Please reconsider your
position and support the rule changes suggested by Senators Jeff Markey, Tom
Udall and others.”

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Michigan’s
so-called lame duck legislature passed a remarkable 232 bills in its last week of
business. Only one bill, SB 0116 (2011), the so-called Right to Work Bill, passed
on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday were busy days with 100 and 117 bills
respectively passing and Friday was a short day with 14 bills passing before
the 2011-2012 legislature adjourned for the last time.

I was standing outside the east wall of the Capitol Building below
the House chamber windows chanting “Kill the bill!” when the one unthinkable
happened; bill SB 0116 (2011), the so-called Right to Work Bill, passed in the
House. The ink was not dry on this bill before Governor Rick Snyder signed it
into law.

This bill got so much well-deserved attention that the other
231 bills that made their way to the floor and were passed in the last week of
business went largely unnoticed.

Most of the legislation passed would not raise an eyebrow on
this list, but it is remarkable for the shear volume of legislation moved in
what many people mistakenly believe to be a slow session mostly committed to
photo opportunities and farewell parties.

Buried in the tidal wave of bills are a few sharks that
should get our attention.

HB 6060 (2012) and HB 6063 (2012) amend election law
regarding recalls to 1) include factual accuracy requirement to initial clarity
determination for recall petitions, 2) prohibit submission of recall petition language
to county election boards in the first and last six months of an officer’s term
of office, 3) prohibit the circulation of petitions during the appeal process
which could postpone circulation an additional 40 days*, 4) reduced the valid
signature collection period from 90 consecutive days to 60 consecutive days,
and 5) limit recall initiatives to appearing on the May and November ballots
only.

*The county election board
must rule on factuality and clarity between 10 and 20 days after submission,
the elected offer has 10 days to submit their appeal, and the circuit court has
40 days to rule on the appeal.

From now on, grass roots recalls are officially impossible.
The only people who will be able to recall an elected officer are those who can
afford to pay a team of attorneys and professional canvassers. In other words, the
only people who can hope to successfully recall an elected official are Republicans
recalling Democrats.

At least we can still repeal bad legislation! Well, maybe
not?

Michigan
voters successfully repealed Public Act 4, the Emergency Manager Law, in the
November election. But legislatures wasted no time passing SB 0865 (2011) which
creates a new act to provide for an emergency manager.

Once it has been determined that a local unit of government
is financially distressed, the new Emergency Manager Law allows for four
options: a consent agreement, mediation, an emergency manager, or Chapter 9
bankruptcy. Also, the state, not the local unit of government, will pay the
salary of the emergency manager and other related costs.

The legislature also passed new laws that repeal commercial
and industrial personal property taxes with devastating financial consequences
for municipalities, school districts, libraries, and other local taxing units.

Also, new laws were passed that:

Require
physicians that perform abortions to determine whether or not the patient
may have been “coerced”,

Liberalize
the concealed carry to permit concealed weapons to be carried into places
like schools and churches and to make it easier to get a concealed carry
permit,

and

Require
village elections to be held at the general November election.

There were proposed laws that somehow failed to pass but
need to be mentioned.

Called the Religious Liberty and Conscience Protection Act,
one bill would have allowed health care payers, health facilities, and health
providers a right to decline to provide or pay for certain objectionable health
care services. This bill passed in the Senate but died in the House Committee
on Insurance. A similar House bill that never came out of committee would have
allowed objection to placements by child placing agency based on religious or
moral convictions.

Identical bills that would have established an Education
Achievement Authority as part of the public education system and provided for
its powers and duties, and established processes for redeployment of unused
public school buildings were introduced in both the Senate and the House were
they died in Committee.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Protecting the Doors and Grounds

I have been to a number of events on the front steps of the Capitol building in Lansing in the last couple of years and the State Police are usually there someplace. I have never felt threatened by there presence and while they don’t usually interact very much with the people, when they do the interaction usually appears to be friendly.

The State Police were at the Capitol in force for this rally. With officers stationed at all of the doors. Troopers in riot gear and deputies on horseback were nearby as well. Folks were taking pictures, quite a few people went over to see the horses and people who spoke to officers at the door had polite and friendly interactions.

In spite of reports that one person was hurt by a horse and several others were pepper sprayed, my own opinion is that law enforcement was not hostile or aggressive. That being said, it is also my opinion that had there been no displays of force whatsoever, the people attending the rally.

The Tents Came Down

Conservatives leased the front steps and grounds. They had the money to buy the ground but they didn’t have the feet to hold it. Labor-friendly people took the steps and pushed conservatives out. You might have expected the Police to step in, but they didn’t.

Two large tents were erected on the lawn by Americans for Prosperity. The tents were nearly empty with only a few tables and chairs inside and a couple of anti-labor conservatives wandering about. Outside the tents, thousands of pro-labor progressives occupied the lawn. It wasn’t long before people started pushing up against the tent, rocking about and then it happened, the first tent came down and the crowd cheered. A few minutes later and the next tent came down to more cheers.

Did the Police rush in and mace the crowd or arrest people? NO! Some of the people from labor politely rolled up the edges of the tents and people were asked not to step on or damage the property of others.

Protecting the Wall

The word went out, “They are voting!” Thousands of people gathered on the sidewalks and lawn east of the House chamber. We were loud and we were visible but we were not destructive or violent. The police made no effort to interfere with the rally and then there was a vote. The results were written on a large piece of paper and held in a window for us to read.

Some of the people gathered in front of the Capitol building must have been behaving badly; perhaps they got to close to the windows or something? Suddenly there was a long line of State Police in riot gear behind me. They made a line across the crowd and found their way to the front of the building were they pushed back workers. There was a report that someone had been pepper sprayed, but I did not see it.

Troopers in riot gear took up positions near the north door and in front of the building. Somehow, deputies on horseback also managed to find their way to the wall and backed up into a corner.

I’m sure there was a bit of a scuffle as the troopers and deputies moved in and pushed back the workers, but this picture really tells the story. This trooper in riot gear stands by the window and the people nearby are smiling and carrying on a friendly conversation. Peaceful participants clearly were not being harassed by the State Police.

Protecting the Doors

By about 2:00 PM, the crowd began to thin out and most of the people who had been at the wall of the Capitol building had either moved to other places or had left the grounds to catch their ride home.

Someone must have put the word out that the next step for this bill was the Governor’s desk and the office of the Governor is located in the George W. Romney Building just east of the Capitol building. A crowd gathered outside the doors and began chanting.

I wasn’t able to get my camera out of the bag fast enough to catch images of the State Police from the Capitol wall making a line for the Romney Building doors but when they moved it got everyone’s attention and many of the people who had been milling about on the lawn hustled over to the Governor’s office to see what was happening.

From the edges, it was difficult to find the helmets of the Police but troopers positioned themselves in front of the doors and windows and pushed back the crowd. The crowd was smaller but the mood was just a bit uglier than it had been at the Capitol wall.

Pepper Sprayed

I was getting ready to leave myself when my friend pointed to the crowd and said that someone had been pepper sprayed. I was only barely able to get an image as he was taken over to the nurses’ tent.

A few moments later another person was brought out of the crowd who also appeared to have been sprayed.

I was able to get one picture of a person in the nurses’ tent that appeared to have been pepper sprayed and then my battery went dead.

This report may be focused on the Police and pepper spray but the fact is that the people who participated in this rally where very civil and Police where not aggressive, at least not that I observed. Others will have to decide whether the several people who were hurt crossed the line or if the Police had overreacted.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

HB6058, HB6060, HB6061, and HB6063 were all introduced on
November 28th and passed in the House on Thursday with immediate
effect. These bills have moved to the Senate and will likely be brought to the
floor on Tuesday.

HB 6058 of 2012 would prevent the circulation of recall
petitions for signatures for up to 40 days if there was an appeal to a circuit
court for reason of sufficiency, and would invalidate a petition upon a
decision of the circuit court that the language was insufficient.

Currently, the reason(s) for the recall must be stated
“clearly”; HB 6060 of 2012 would require the reason(s) for the recall to also
be stated “factually” and would require the sponsor(s) of the recall to provide
supporting evidence of the facts. This bill would also reduce the valid signature
collection period from 90 consecutive days to 60 consecutive days.

HB 6061 of 2012 would limit the recall elections to November
and May elections.

Finally, HB 6063 (H-1) of 2012 would prevent a recall
petition from being submitted in the first or last six months of an official’s
term of office.

It has always been nearly impossible for a grassroots effort
to successfully recall an elected official; these bills would make it so
difficult that you could drop the word “nearly” and just say impossible. It has
never been more important to work hard to get the right people elected to
office.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Lansing,
MI
– Between two thousand and three thousand working people were gathered in front
of the Capitol Building in Lansing to let their legislators know they did NOT
want so-called right-to-work legislation to pass in the lame duck session.

Many
of them had been inside the Capitol but now hey were locked out of the building
itself plausibly due to a disturbance. Adding insult to injury, the thousands
who had come to the Capital were not allowed to occupy the lawn or to speak
from the steps.

Stretched out on the lawn on
either side of the sidewalk were large, nearly empty tents. As I approached I
could hear a speech given by Ronald Reagan being broadcast from somewhere on
the steps.

It may be impossible to see in
the photo, but buried in the mass of working people there is a podium with a
speaker on it and hanging on the tent is a banner that reads, “Americans for
Prosperity”.

The
media will undoubtedly report the arrest of several unruly people in the
Capitol and how the building was locked down for many hours while visitors
stood outside chanting, “Let us in!”. Reporters will likely report that
lawmakers pushed through so-called right-to-work bills while the doors were
locked to visitors and lobbyists.

Here
is what won’t be said, while thousands of working people were being deprived of
access to their elected officials, a few well funded special interests groups was
occupying the lawn, the front steps and the hallways of the Capitol itself. Outside
the building, just over a dozen supporters of so-called right-to-work, backed
by thousands of dollars, had secured the entire front lawn and the steps.
Inside the building a few lobbyists backed by many more thousands of dollars
had secured the attention of Republican lawmakers.

It’s
difficult to say what was happening behind the door where Michigan State Police were posted, but the
events outside were Orwellian. The Ronald Reagan speech just kept repeating
itself over and over again to an unreceptive audience. At one point several
people tried to remove or disconnect the speaker. After a bit of activity, most
of which was out of my line of sight, the Gipper resumed his tired old speech
and the audience resorted to chanting and noise-making to drown it out.

When
the crowd thinned out, I observed that the podium and speaker were guarded by fifteen
Conservatives. One of them must have thought it would be safe to say a few
words because I noticed that Reagan was turned off and then the crowd swelled
and got even louder. I squeezed in and noticed that a man with a microphone and
surrounded by a few supporters was trying desperately to be heard, but the
crowd was just to loud for him and he had to give up.

From
my perspective it appeared that all the money in the world couldn't bring more
than a few dozen, boots-on-the-ground Conservatives to the Capitol and that the
thousands of working class Progressives had the upper hand. But the battle wasn't being fought outside with a few thousand dollars and a dozen supporters; it was
being fought and won inside with a few lobbyists and many thousands more dollars.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Lansing, MI – Many concerned worker
gathered in Lansing
today as Republican legislators scrambled to move forward two bills that had
been dormant in their committees for most of the last two years. Today was the
last day for this lame duck legislature to move forward a bill in one chamber
and still have time to act on the same bill in the other chamber.

As the day began, House
Bill 4054 and Senate
Bill 116 were identical bills that would allow local units of government to
establish so-called right-to-work zones. If enacted into law, these bills would have
blocked enforcement of an all-union shop agreement in that zone.

“If a city, township, county, township,
village, public school district, or intermediate school district has authorized
a right to work zone within its boundaries by a vote of its governing body or
by adoption of a measure initiated by the people, the commission shall not
enforce an all-union shop agreement covering employees in that zone that the
employer entered into or renewed after the date of adoption of the measure.”

Lawmakers sent misleading signals to labor indicating that
the bill before the House would apply to public employees only with an
exception being made for police officers and firefighters and the bill before
the Senate would apply to so-called right-to-work zones only.

A mid-day disturbance in the capitol building led police to
seal the capitol building while many of the lobbyists were out to lunch and a
crowd of between two and three thousand people was locked out for most of the
day.

Unknown to the workers and lobbyists, identical substitutions
were offered in each chamber altering the bills which passed, first in the
House and later in the Senate.

The amended language in both bills now reads in part:

“An individual shall not be required as
a condition of obtaining or continuing employment to do any of the following:

(A) Refrain or resign from membership
in, voluntary affiliation with, or voluntary support of a labor organization.

(B) Become or remain a member of a
labor organization.

(C) Pay any dues, fees, assessments, or
other charges or expenses of any kind or amount or provide anything of value to
a labor organization.”

This is the heart and soul of so-called right-to-work
legislation. These bills, when signed into law, will make Michigan the 24th so-called
right-to-work state; no ifs, ands or buts!

The bills go on to appropriate $1,000,000 to implement the
amendatory act.

What happens now? House Democrats have given notice of
intent to reconsider so House Bill 4054 will likely be reconsidered tomorrow.
At lease one source is indicating that the session may be called as early as
12:01 AM and we may wake up to discover that the reconsideration hurdle is
already behind us.

Senate Bill 116 was referred to the House Committee on
Commerce, read the first time and notice was give to discharge committee. The
two bills are identical, but it appears that concurring vote in either chamber
will enroll the bill and move it forward for the governor’s signature.

Alea iacta est, the
die has been cast; all that remains now is a statutory formality of reconsideration,
concurrence and running out the clock for five session days followed by a few
strokes of the governor’s pen.

Let’s not imagine that this is the last straw and now the
working people of Michigan who let Republicans sweep into office in 2010, who
let the efforts to recall Snyder, Bolger, Richardville and others fail, who
rejected a ballot proposal to protect collective bargaining rights, and who left
the Republicans in control of the State House in 2012 will rise up and … well,
and what?

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

It
was reported that a garment factory fire in Dhaka
killed at least 112 workers on Saturday, November 25th. Exports mainly
to the United States and
Europe form Bangladesh’s
4,000 or more garment factories total about $20 billion annually. Since 2006,
more than 350 workers have died in garment factory fires in Bangladesh.

I
was immediately reminded of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on Marcy
25, 1911 which caused 146 deaths of workers. As a result of this and other
tragedies, labor unions formed to defend the right of workers to a safe work
environment and legislation was passed to improve factory safety standards.

And
then my mind moved on to the many issues that revolve around the exporting of
manufacturing jobs to third world nations.

Neoliberals
argue that the international marketplace for labor makes goods cheaper and
business more profitable, but the only way that it does so is by externalizing
the actual cost of production in terms of human labor and environmental
destruction by moving those jobs to parts of the world were the progressive reforms
of developed nations do not yet exist.

Conservatives defend their exploitation of a
servant underclass in these third world nations by pointing out how much worse
off these people would be with no jobs. Today there are 112 worker from Dhaka who were exploited, poor and finally dead because they had a job.We can all wear clothing without exploiting other human beings or destroying our environment. The only real beneficiaries of this endless shifting of jobs to distant places are the owners who profit at the expense of all others.Clothing might cost a little more if we insisted on fair pay, benefits and work conditions for the people who do the work that make the garments but there is another option ... the owners could take pay cut!Occasionally I hear someone in one of the labor unions say that we don't mind if some of our low-skill, low-tech, and low-pay jobs get farmed out to other countries as long as we can keep out high-skill, high-tech, and high-pay jobs here. I am at a loss for work to express my frustration with these people.Exploiting other people is wrong, whether it is done by the owners or by other workers who have bigger paycheck; it is wrong whether it is done to people here in our country or people in countries around the world. So what can be done?If you are one of the lucky people who has a good job because of your union membership, stop thinking in terms of union member rights and start thinking in terms of human rights.If you are one of the luck people who gets to live in a country that protects the environment and regulates workplace safety, stop thinking of it as a right of the citizens in your country and start thinking of it as a human right.And if your one of the lucky people that gets to be the consumer of high-quality, low-price goods made someplace else, stop thinking of those who do the work as people who are lucky to have a job making stuff for you. The same thing if you are lucky enough to have someone providing you services here like stocking shelves and bringing you food.It is a great privilege to benefit from the labor of others and a privilege worth paying for by sharing the wealth that they produce with them and ensuring that they get to live the same dignified life that you hope to live.

About Me

I was born and
raised in rural west-central Michigan
and enjoyed “country living” throughout my young life. My family was a
“his-hers-ours” family, but I don’t ever remember feeling divided. I had a mom,
a dad, three brothers and a sister. I also enjoyed have some extra
grandparents, aunts and uncles.

We always had
animals and a garden. We did chores like milking the cows, cutting wood and
cleaning dishes. We also enjoyed l playing the woods, swimming and making snow
men.

I enjoyed school.
I wasn’t a particularly gifted primary student but as entered my teens I
discovered how much I enjoyed learning. I graduated with honors, was the
honorary science student and senior class president.

The Military Years

After
graduating from high school, I served three terms in the United States Air
Force as a medical laboratory technician and was honorably discharged at the
rank of Technical Sergeant (E-6).

I earned my AS
in Medical Laboratory Technology and a BS in Business Management graduating
magna, cum, laude while serving in the military. I also became credentialed by
the HEW as a certified Clinical Laboratory Technologist.

I also became
interested in computers while I was in the military. I took some college
courses toward a degree but the program was dropped by the college before I
could complete it. I taught myself how to write fairly complicated programs on
a VIC-20, upgraded to a Commodore-64 and was a member of a computer user group.

I got a bit of
the sales bug while I was in the military and the dream of being my own boss. I
sold for Amway but never got a check bigger than $26. I got my real estate
sales license and sold real estate for a while before realizing that a
full-time military guy just can’t also be a realtor.

My Life on the Plains

After
discharge, I managed a small, rural Nebraska
hospital's diagnostic services department performing general laboratory,
limited radiologic and basic EKG procedures for seven years. I obtained a
Limited Radiographic Operator license and completed a series of seminars in
supervision and management.

While living in
Nebraska I
tried unsuccessfully on several occasions to launch a home-based business. I
still had it in my head to be my own bass and work from home. I sold nutrition products,
I sold magnetic health products, I sold long distance phone cards, I sold
bottled water, I sold custom-built home PCs and upgrades, I sold home
preparedness supplies and books about natural health online, I sold bottled
water and finally I sold health and life insurance. Others got rich and I went
broke!

The Republic
of Texas

In the year
2000, I made a career move to software sales and moved my family to the north Dallas, Texas area.
I got in more because of who I knew than what I knew. My friend knew me and
knew I had an aptitude for technology and business. I learned fast and I was
good at what I did. These were Camelot years of employment, I enjoyed my work
and was well paid and I lost the desire to be my own boss.

I started out
in pre-sales for a company with a tall, luxury, office building that got bought
out and eventually closed its offices and sold the building. I moved into a
sales seat for another company in Kansas City
and worked from home in Dallas
just ahead of the division closing. The
software bubble burst, I was let go and the division I worked for was spun off.
I found myself scrambling for employment with to to few years of work
experience in software to stay in that industry.

Software sales
was a good experience and I got some excellent technical training. I knew a
little bit about PCs but I learned about the higher end of computer technology.
Also I got some great training in complex sales including much coveted training
by Miller-Hieman in Strategic Selling, Strategic Analysis & Conceptual
Selling, and Sales Call Planning.

Then the
software bubble burst, I was let go and the division I worked for was spun off.
I found myself scrambling for employment with too few years of work experience
in software to stay in that industry.

Coming Home to Michigan

I found work as
a clinical service engineer providing field service to laboratory instrument
and moved to southeast Michigan
in early 2003. I was good at what I did and enjoyed the work almost a year to
the day after hiring me they let me go. Then the region I was in downsized and
merged with a neighboring region.

Since then, I
have been an assembler, a security guard and a route sales manager. Getting and
keeping a job of any kind seems to be a loosing proposition. Instead of being
upwardly mobile, I have been downwardly mobile. I’ve learned some interesting
lessons along the way.

My wife found
part-time work in a deli when I lost the last good job. She works hard, is
poorly paid, and her hours and benefits are unreliable. When I had a job, her
income almost kept our head above water.

Not Employment

I have been not
employed for several years now. There is a big difference between not employed
and unemployed. If you are unemployed, you get paid unemployment and you hope
to find work soon. I haven’t been either of those two things.

I have been a
part-time, stay-at-home dad and a part-time political activist for a couple
years now. I was employed briefly as a field organizer in the months leading up
to the 2012 general election. Paid or unpaid, this is what I do now, but I am
hoping to be paid to do it in the future.

The Family

My wife and I
have a family of six children. I met and married my wife while serving in the
in the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio and we had our first three children
there.

Our eldest
daughter graduated magna from Eastern
Michigan University
with a BS in Journalism. She is now married and lives in south-central Nebraska with her
husband. She enjoys gardening, cooking and travelling. She works at a school
and is taking additional classes to qualify as a substitute teacher.

Our eldest son
struggled in college but completed a technical program. He lives with us at
home and works in fast food. He enjoys gaming (interactive role-play and
computer-based).

The third child
is a daughter and completed her AS in Graphic Arts at the local community
college. She is now married and lives in northern California. She enjoys gardening, art and
dance.

Our next two
daughters were born at a hospital in central Nebraska
and our youngest son was born at home in south-central Nebraska.

The fourth
child, another daughter, has just left home to go to school at University of Toledo with the lofty goal of becoming s
surgeon. Her undergraduate degree program is in Bioengineering. She has a
boyfriend and enjoys Dagorhir.

The fifth
child, yet another daughter, just turned 18 and plans to start college this
fall at the local community college. She enjoys reading, writing and gaming.

The youngest
son is now 13 and enjoys reading and gaming.

All of our
children have been home schooled since moving to Texas.

Religion

We were once
active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but are now
confirmed atheists although I prefer to think of myself as a secular humanist. Theist
I ain’t, humanist I are.

I still cherish
the experience of having been a Mormon and think well of the church community.
Sometimes I tell people that I am a Mormon Atheist, because I feel the historic
and cultural connection. I was happy as
a member and only left the church because I no longer believe that its founder,
Joseph Smith, was a prophet; that the Book of Mormon is the word of God; or
that church is the church
of Jesus Christ.

There is
something about discovering that you have been terribly wrong about something
like your religious beliefs that makes you more introspective and
self-critical. I began to reexamine many of my strongly held beliefs to see
what other things I might be wrong about. I also began reexamining the
remaining religious beliefs to see if they withstood serious scrutiny.

At first I
regarded myself as agnostic or “not knowing”. I determined that I should
reserve what I “believe” for what was “known” or at the very least “knowable”.
The more you know about the Bible story, the credible it becomes until one day
it become incredible and you stop believing it. The other stories are no
better.

“Extraordinary
claims require extraordinary evidence and that what can be asserted without
evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.” ~Christopher Hitchens

Politics

I used to be a
Libertarian (with a big “L”) and was very active in the Party serving briefly
as a county Chair in Denton County, Texas and on state executive committees,
first in Texas and then in Michigan. I was even a Libertarian candidate for
State Board of Education twice.

I still regard
myself as a civil libertarian but I also regard myself as a social democrat and
I am now very active in the Democratic Party. Without getting too political
here, I think what moved me away from my old position was the realization that
the human condition is largely a social condition. The high quality of life
that we enjoy individually is the fruit of a high degree of collective effort
and cooperation.

Also, that the
Libertarian position is so strongly connected to the concept of individual
property ownership that it makes no exception for our shared interest in what
is best described as the “commons”. I credit a young member of the Green Party
with helping me discover the cracks in the Libertarian wall.

I am currently
the Chapter Leader of Progressive Democrats of Monroe
and a member of the Monroe County Democratic Executive Committee.

Concerned About the Future

My greatest
concern for our future and the future of humankind centers on the problems of
debt-based money, overpopulation, overconsumption, rapidly depleting reserves
of coal, oil, metals and minerals and global climate change.

I have lived
through the latter half of the Age of Oil and I expect to live long enough to
see the turmoil of an overpopulated planet earth scrambling to secure the last
of the fossil fuel. I expect to see cold and hunger before I die. And I can't
help but wonder when our normally peaceful human family will begin to recognize
the size, scope and inevitability of the problem. Then comes the violence.

The Present

One of the most
destructive behaviors has to be living for future instead of living in the
present. It may be prudent to plan for a hopeful future or even to take action
to mitigate problems anticipated in a difficult future, but however one imagines the
future, there is no reason not to cherish the moment that is called “now”.